What Is the College Board ACCUPLACER Test?

The College Board ACCUPLACER test is a computer-adaptive assessment that tests students’ math, reading, and writing skills. The College Board is a not-for-profit organization that assists students with entry into college by providing a selection of testing opportunities.

The ACCUPLACER test is administered 8.5 million times per year for mostly placement, but also admissions, purposes. While there is no clear pass or fail mark, the scores are still very important. Serious college placement test practice is highly recommended for anyone about to take the ACCUPLACER.

All ACCUPLACER testing, except for the Essay, is in multiple-choice format. College-level math topics and English skills are assessed, and questions are adaptive by difficulty, depending on students’ responses to the previous question. The tests are untimed, and in any given test, students are required to respond to as few as 12 and as many as 40 questions. 

Watch this short video to learn more about the ACCUPLACER and get sample questions and important tips:

Play

 Why Prepare for the ACCUPLACER Test?

For placement purposes, a high score on the ACCUPLACER often saves students time and money by avoiding remedial classes and placing students into the appropriate class.

  • Save money – don’t pay for extra courses and classes.
  • Save time – don’t get stuck paying for remedial courses you don’t need.
  • Exceed expectations – get into the best courses.
  • Stress less – feel confident on test day.
  • Hassle-free – a higher placement means one less course to think about.

For admissions purposes, a high score on the ACCUPLACER can secure an applicant a spot in an advanced educative program with limited, highly-competitive placement.

  • Get into programs that give you an academic edge.
  • Reduce test stress and be confident on test day.
  • Solidify your knowledge and improve your testing performance.

ACCUPLACER Study Guide – Free Questions

Download our 30-question free ACCUPLACER practice test. This free test offers a sample of the types of questions on the ACCUPLACER placement test and on our ACCUPLACER practice tests.

ACCUPLACER Math Practice 

The ACCUPLACER Math test is comprised of three sections: Arithmetic, Elementary Algebra, and College-Level Math. The topics covered in each of these sections are listed below. Take our ACCUPLACER math practice tests to improve your scores in these topics.

ACCUPLACER Arithmetic Practice Questions

Prepare to test your understanding of basic arithmetic operations. This section tests both the fundamental concepts of arithmetic, as well as your ability to apply and solve problems using them. You will encounter three types of questions on the ACCUPLACER Arithmetic test:

  • Operations with whole numbers and fractions – Your understanding of the basic functions (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division) should be second nature. Brush up on your ability to work with fractions and mixed numbers.
  • Operations with decimals and percentages
  • Applications and problem solving

ACCUPLACER Elementary Algebra Practice

The Elementary Algebra test measures your ability to perform basic algebraic operations and to solve problems involving elementary algebraic concepts. You will find three types of elementary algebra questions on both the real ACCUPLACER test and any ACCUPLACER Elementary Algebra practice tests:

  • Integers and rational numbers: Topics include computation with integers and negative rationals, the use of absolute values, and ordering.
  • Algebraic expressions: Topics include the evaluation of simple formulas and expressions, adding and subtracting monomials and polynomials, multiplying and dividing monomials and polynomials, the evaluation of positive rational roots and exponents, simplifying algebraic fractions, and factoring.
  • Equations, inequalities, and word problems: Topics include solving linear equations and inequalities; solving quadratic equations by factoring; and solving verbal problems presented in an algebraic context, including geometric reasoning and graphing, and the translation of written phrases into algebraic expressions.

ACCUPLACER College-Level Math Placement Test

The College Level Math test measures your ability to solve problems that involve college-level mathematics concepts. There are five types of ACCUPLACER College Level Math questions:

  • Algebraic operations: Topics include simplifying rational algebraic expressions, factoring, expanding polynomials, and manipulating roots and exponents.
  • Solutions of equations and inequalities: Topics include linear and quadratic equations and inequalities, equation systems, and other algebraic equations.
  • Coordinate geometry: Topics include plane geometry, the coordinate plane, straight lines, conics, sets of points in the plane, and graphs of algebraic functions.
  • Applications and other algebra topics: Topics include complex numbers, series and sequences, determinants, permutations and combinations, fractions, and word problems.
  • Functions and trigonometry: Topics include polynomials, algebraic, exponential, and logarithmic and trigonometric functions.

ACCUPLACER College Math Placement Tests

College placement test practice is vital to saving time and money, by precluding yourself from unnecessary remedial courses. Start your preparation for your college math placement tests with our ACCUPLACER practice tests. You can practice with math placement test questions by purchasing our ACCUPLACER Premium Pack or our ACCUPLACER Math Pack.

 ACCUPLACER English Placement Test Practice

Prepare for the ACCUPLACER English placement test with practice questions and assignments for all three sections of the test. The Reading Comprehension and Sentence Skills sections each contain 20 questions, while the WritePlacer Essay is a single assignment.

ACCUPLACER Sentence Skills

The ACCUPLACER Sentence Skills section tests your understanding of English grammar and sentence structures. The Sentence Skills part contains two different question types. In the first one, you are asked to identify grammatically correct sentences. In the second one, you are also asked to identify errors and illogical combinations, as well as to understand the rules for subordination and coordination. You are required to demonstrate these skills via sentence correction and construction shift exercises.

ACCUPLACER Reading Comprehension

The ACCUPLACER Reading Comprehension section tests five skills. You must show that you can identify the key ideas, recognize the difference between direct statements and secondary supporting ideas, think critically about the passages you read, comprehend written material, and identify the relationship between any two given sentences.
You are required to demonstrate these skills by either answering questions based on a passage or by working with a pair of sentences.

ACCUPLACER WritePlacer Essay

The ACCUPLACER WritePlacer Essay is a test in the form of an essay that assesses your ability to communicate effectively through your writing. Scores are given according to your ability to organize your writing, express your ideas, and support your opinions. Five criteria are used to measure your skills in this test.

  • Focus: To what extent do you present your main idea with clarity?
  • Organization: To what extent do you structure your response and present your ideas with clarity and logical structure?
  • Development and Support: To what extent do you develop and elaborate on your ideas, along with providing supporting details?
  • Sentence Structure: To what extent are your sentence structures effective?
  • Mechanical Conventions: To what extent is your writing error-free, in terms of both the mechanics of language and usage of words?

ACCUPLACER College English Placement Tests

Begin your preparation for the three English sections of the ACCUPLACER placement test with our ACCUPLACER practice tests. Use placement test practice to learn the mechanics of the WritePlacer Essay, understand the rules for Sentence Skills, and feel confident in your ability to critically analyze written work in the Reading Comprehension section of the test. You can practice with English placement test questions by purchasing our ACCUPLACER Premium Pack or our ACCUPLACER English Pack.

ACCUPLACER Placement Test Scores

Results will be available to you and the college immediately after completion of t he exam. Scores for the multiple-choice tests range between 20 and 120 points. Each college sets its own minimum requirement for course placement levels. Hence, the ACCUPLACER is not a test one can pass or fail. If you earn a low score on the test, you may be required to take remedial classes before entering college-level courses. These classes are prerequisites and do not count towards a degree or college credit. Learn more about ACCUPLACER scores.

ACCUPLACER Practice Tests for 2024

Get access to over 1,000 practice questions online, available in our ACCUPLACER Premium Pack.

The 1,000+ questions comprise:

  • Three ACCUPLACER math tests (147 questions) and 383 additional math exercises
  • Three ACCUPLACER English tests (120 questions) and 360 additional English exercises
  • Three ACCUPLACER essay guides and six additional ACCUPLACER study guides

ACCUPLACER® and WritePlacer® are trademarks and property of COLLEGE BOARD. The trademark holder is not affiliated with TestPrep-Online or this website.

Need Help question mark
minimize close
Need Help question mark
Please fill out the form below and we will contact you soon.
Your message was sent. We will contact you shortly.
There was a problem sending your message. Please try again in a few minutes.